Components of Living Organisms

Cells are the building blocks of all

living beings. Complex organisms'
primary structural and functional
unit is the cell.
Features of a Cell
■ A cell is the smallest and basic unit of life.
■ A cell is not visible to the naked eye because of its minute size.
■ A cell can have different shapes and sizes within the same organism.
■ Every organism possesses different types of cells.
■ All the active cells show and exhibit specific functions. These functions
include respiration, reproduction, growth, and many more.
■ From Cell Theory, we know that every cell comes from a pre-existing cell.
It means a single cell divides further from new cells.
■ New cells not only perform the same activity as their parent cells but also
carry the same genetic material.
■ A characteristic feature of all cells is their ability to divide and form new
cells.
Cellular respiration

Cellular respiration refers to the process

through which energy is released by the
mitochondria of a cell. The glucose that we
get from our food is absorbed by the cell and
utilized to produce energy. In turn, the body
receives energy in the form of ATP.
 Function of the Cell Wall

● plant cell wall provides definite shape, strength, and rigidity

● It also provides protection against mechanical stress and
physical shocks
● It helps to control cell expansion due to the intake of water
● It helps in preventing water loss from the cell
● It is responsible for transporting substances between and
across the cell
● It acts as a barrier between the interior cellular components
and the external environment
 Fluid Mosaic Model of Plasma Membrane

● The Fluid Mosaic model explains the structure of the plasma

membrane. According to it, the plasma membrane comprises 3
components - Lipids, Proteins and Carbohydrates. These components
can flow freely and fluidly inside the plasma membrane.
● There are two types of lipids (fats) in the plasma membrane –
○ Phospholipid – It is a lipid made up of glycerol, two fatty acids,
and phosphate. It creates a semi-permeable membrane that
allows the flow of only certain materials inside/ outside the cell
○ Cholesterol - It is a lipid that provides fluidity to the surface of
the plasma membrane.
● The proteins act as receptors of the cell and help in transportation
across the cell membrane. The carbohydrates attach themselves with
the lipids and proteins and are found on the extracellular side of the
membrane.
How can substances move in and out of a
cell?

Gaseous Exchange between the Cell and its External

Environment –

● Movement of Oxygen and Carbon dioxide to and from

the cell is carried out through diffusion.
● Gaseous substances tend to move to areas where
their concentration is less from the areas where there
is higher. This movement is defined as the process of
diffusion. Diffusion can take the place of solids,
liquids, and gases.
Movement of Water between the Cell and its External
Environment –

It is carried out by the means of osmosis. Osmosis is a

process in which water moves from the region of high
concentration to one where its concentration is low through a
semipermeable membrane.
Hypotonic Solutions
● If the concentration of water outside the cell is
higher than the concentration of water inside
the cell gains water by the process of osmosis.
● Water can move into the cell from the cell
membrane. In the case of hypotonic solutions,
more water enters the cells which result in
swelling of the cells.
Hypotonic Solution
 Isotonic Solutions

● If the cells are put in an environment that has a

similar concentration of water as present inside.
This state allows for the free movement of
water across the membrane without changing
the concentration of solutes on either side.
● Therefore, the size of the cell does not vary in
an isotonic solution because there is no net
movement of water.
Isotonic Solution
Hypertonic Solutions
● If the cells are kept in an environment that has
a lower concentration of water than what is
present inside the cells then due to the
process of osmosis water moves out of the
cells.
● This results in a decrease in the size of the
cells (they shrink) as more water comes out of
the cell.
● Endocytosis is defined as the process of trapping a
particle or substance from the external environment by
engulfing it. Endocytosis is of two types viz
phagocytosis, also known as cellular eating and
pinocytosis, also referred to as cellular drinking.
● Exocytosis, on the other hand, is described as the
process of fusing vesicles with the plasma membrane
to release their contents to the external environment of
the cell.
Chromatin

Chromatin is thread-like material present in a

cell. The chromatin organises itself into
chromosomes whenever the cell is about to
divide.
Nucleolus
It is called the Brain of the Nucleus. It comprises 25%
of the volume of the nucleus. It consists of proteins
and ribonucleic acids (RNA). It helps in the formation
of ribosomes which help in the formation of proteins
inside the cell.
Lysosomes
 Vacuoles:
Vacuoles are liquid/solid filled and membrane bound
organelles.
In plant cells, vacuoles are large and permanent. In
animal cells, vacuoles are small In size and temporary.
In mature plant cell, It occupies 90% space of cell
volume.
Due to its size, other organelles, including nucleus shift
towards plasma membrane.
Types of Vacuoles

● Sap Vacuoles
● Contractile Vacuoles
● Food Vacuoles
Sap Vacuoles
These vacuoles are filled with a fluid called Vascular Sap. The fluid contains
Amino Acids, Salt, Sugar, Proteins, Water, and Waste Materials. Sap
vacuoles are separated from the cytoplasm by a semipermeable membrane
called Tonoplast. Their main function is to allow rapid exchange between the
cytoplasm and the surrounding environment.

Several sap vacuoles are found in young plant cells and animal cells. In
mature plants, the small sap vacuoles combine to form a single large central
vacuole.
 Plastids

Plastids are double-membrane organelles

which are found in the cells of plants and
algae. Plastids are responsible for
manufacturing and storing of food. These
often contain pigments that are used in
photosynthesis and different types of
pigments that can change the colour of the
cell.
 Chloroplasts

Chloroplasts are biconvex shaped, semi-porous,

double membraned, cell organelle found within
the mesophyll of the plant cell. They are the sites
for synthesizing food by the process of
photosynthesis.
 Chromoplasts

Chromoplasts is the name given to an area for all the

pigments to be kept and synthesized in the plant. These
can be usually found in flowering plants, ageing leaves
and fruits. Chloroplasts convert into chromoplasts.
Chromoplasts have carotenoid pigments that allow
different colours that you see in leaves and fruits. The
main reason for its different colour is for attracting
pollinators.
 Leucoplasts

These are the non-pigmented organelles which

are colourless. Leucoplasts are usually found
in most of the non-photosynthetic parts of the
plant like roots. They act as a storage sheds
for starches, lipids, and proteins depending on
the need of the plants.
 Mitosis Definition

“Mitosis is that step in the cell cycle

where the newly formed DNA is
separated and two new cells are formed
with the same number and kind of
chromosomes as the parent nucleus.”
Features of Mitosis
1. In each cycle of cell division, two daughter cells are
formed from the parent cell.
2. The cell is also known as equational cell division
because the chromosome number in the parent cell
and daughter cell is the same.
3. In plants, mitosis leads to the growth of vegetative
parts of the plant like root tip, stem tip, etc.
4. Segregation and combination do not occur in this
process.